1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grinding machine of the type wherein a work support carrying a workpiece is passed between a pair of grinding wheels disposed at both sides thereof for simultaneously grinding a pair of opposite end surfaces of the workpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Turbine blades as used in aircraft jet engines have at their opposite ends mounting portions whose outer surfaces must be ground. In a known grinding machine for this purpose, a pair of wheel slides are respectively disposed at both sides of a work support which is movable along a horizontal slide way. A grinding wheel whose circumferential surfaces take a form corresponding to a portion of a workpiece to be ground is supported on each of the wheel slides for rotation about a vertical axis. In operation, the pair of wheel slides are horizontally infed toward each other to thereby adjust the positions of the grinding wheels thereon relative to the work support. The work support is subsequently moved to cause the workpiece carried thereon to pass between the grinding wheels, which result in simultaneously grinding a pair of opposite end surfaces of the workpiece.
In the case where the workpiece has a complicated shape, like the mounting portions of the turbine blades, it is impossible for the known grinding machine to grind all of the outer surfaces of the workpiece. Accordingly, it has been a practice to use a number of grinding machines of the aforementioned type which are connected in series by workpiece transfer devices. A pair of grinding wheels carried on each of the grinding machines are formed to have at their circumferential surfaces the same or independent profiles that are different from those of grinding wheels carried on the other grinding machines, so that each of the grinding machines is dedicated to grinding a pair of opposite end surfaces of the workpiece. This grinding system disadvantageously requires the provision of a plurality of dedicated grinding machines and workpiece transfer devices in addition to an extended floor space for system installation.